Fallen Feather
by i like too much anime
Summary: Asuka grew bored of her bland city life and moved to a place more, rural. Mineral Town seemed nice enough. The farm was damned to hell, though. But it was nothing a little elbow grease and a long weekend couldn’t fix, right? Wrong. OMFG CHAP 12 UP!
1. Beginnings

Fallen Feather: Asuka (O.C.) grew bored of her bland city life and moved to a place more, rural. Mineral Town seemed nice enough. The farm was damned to hell, though. But it was nothing a little elbow grease and a long weekend couldn't fix, right? Wrong. Relationships grow with more than one man. But one almost does the unthinkable. Later, Saibara develops a habit that could cost Asuka dearly. Can the man she loves save her? Or is she screwed for life? (H.M.: More Friends of Mineral Town) Rated M for language and suggestive themes.

Hi peoples! I hope you like my story. I'm not very good at summaries. Or beginning chapters for that matter. w Bear with me okay? I promise this will be a good one. Sooner or later. XD Oh yeah, I'm Livi. Just so you know.

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own the Harvest Moon Franchise, More Friends of Mineral Town, or anything of substantial value.

Livi: Hey! I have a PS2 and games for it! That's worth at least $400 all together!

Lawyer: That doesn't count.

Livi: pouts

"speech" _thoughts _actions or sounds emphasis

Chapter 1: Beginnings 

Spring, Day 2.

Taking a glance around at her new home, Asuka found it: despicable. The entire thing was dilapidated and run down. There was no life anywhere. The chicken coop looked like a tsunami ran it over. The barn was okay for the exterior, but inside was horrible! A tornado blew through it a million years ago. And the house just sucked. No, it didn't just suck, it sucked major ass. AND the fields were full of weeds, rocks, and tree stumps. This was not the place the ad said it would be. No, not at all.

FLASHBACK

Asuka had lived in an apartment in downtown Flower Bud Village. Never knew why they kept the name of 'Village' when Flower Bud was a bustling, growing city. Her once nice apartment suited her refined tastes. For a woman of 20, it was just fine.

Early one morning, Asuka saw an ad in the paper that read: Home with acres for sale! Would make a great summer home, farm, or ranch. Call MT Real Estate for more information. A week later she was on a plane to her new home. She had sold her apartment and quit her job for a new life. One a little bit more, rural.

END FLASHBACK

So, here she was. A tall, red headed woman standing on this farm looking like a total fucking idiot.

"Excuse me miss, but this is private property. I was going to advise you to leave, but you look lost. Can I help you?" _I hate tourists. Hate, hate, hate._

"Um, yea, you can. I recently purchased this land and-"

"Ah! You must be Asuka! I'm the Mayor of this town. I was just informed of your arrival…"

Asuka was giving him a blank stare_. Lovely. A short, fat man in red as a mayor. That's _real_ reassuring. __  
_

"Haha. Not the place you expected it to be now is it?" _She doesn't look like much of the farmer type. She's taller than me. 5'4, maybe 5'5. Beautiful red hair down to the middle of her back. With startling green eyes. She looks like a secretary. Bland gray skirt suit. Just great. __  
_

"No, it's not. It needs a lot of work. I have nothing better to do anyway."

"I'm sorry it's in such a poor state. It's previous owner died a while back and no one has been taking care of it since. Why don't I show you around town? Get more accustomed with your new neighbors." 

"That's fine. Can I get into something more comfortable first? These heals are killing me."

"Haha. It's okay with me."

A few colorful words and 20 minutes later, Asuka emerges from her new home. Instead of her uncomfortably constricting business suit, she was in something more fitting. Now she was in a light brown, loose hugging tank top with slightly baggy dark blue jeans.

_Now she looks more like a farmer._ The Mayor thought_. That suits her well._

"Now shall we start your tour of this fine town?"

"Yes, let's get moving."

Mineral Town was a quaint little village. Of course, it was tiny as hell, but Asuka mainly liked it. First, the mayor took her up to the library, where her tour started. There she met Basil, Anna, and their daughter Mary. Mary worked at the library. _She looks my age. I have a feeling I might be there often. Or maybe not. I dunno._

Next-door was a small home where Ellen and Stu lived. The "Mum of the Town," as the mayor called her. On the other side of that building was the Supermarket. Jeff, Sasha, and their daughter Karen lived and worked there.

Asuka quickly discovered not to piss off Karen. A customer dropped something that broke and she proceeded to cuss their poor head off.

The Clinic was drab. It was a typical hospital. cold, quiet, and eerie. Luckily Elli and the Doctor weren't as bad. _What kind of mom names their kid Doctor? Kinda odd if you ask me._

The Church was after the Clinic. Asuka met Carter outside. He was watering the plants that grew near the gravestones. Carter seemed like a nice guy, but she didn't like his perpetual smile….

The Mayor pointed out the way to the beach. He warned Asuka about a guy named Won. He said to be careful with the stuff he sells. It's all questionable.

Doug and Ann were extremely inviting people. The owned the Bar and Hotel thing. _Not quite sure what it is entirely… Sweet. I can get alcohol here. And next door too it seems. _

Duke and Manna owned and operated the Winery next door. They asked Asuka if she wanted to work there. Too bad that farm looks like it needs too much work to allow for another job. _Damn, I just passed up free wine. Grrs. _

Barley and his granddaughter May lived on Yodel farm. They sold Cows and Sheep. _They might come in handy later. I'm gonna need some livestock at some point. Barley acts like an old dumbfuck._

Poultry Farm was next in line. Lillia, Popuri, and Rick owned that business dealing in none other than: Chickens. They were all normal people. Except Popuri. She seemed a little out of it all the time. _Maybe she's high or something…_

Last but not least was the Blacksmith. _Looks like a boring building._

Knock knock knock

"Whadda ya want? I'm busy." Came an old, gruff voice.

"It's just Thomas. I'm giving our new neighbor a tour. May we come in?"

"Yeah, sure. Door's open!"

As the mayor and Asuka walked in, the first two things she noticed are: _Jesus, it's dark in here………Holy shit, it's hot in here, too! What the hell! Haven't they ever heard of A.C.?_

"Good morning Saibara. I would like you to meet Asuka. She's taking over Ol' Mikes farm."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Asuka said while shaking his hand. "But may I ask why it's so _freaking_ hot in here?

_Whippersnapper for Mikes farm. Figures. I hate city people. _"Well, young lady, I'm a blacksmith and it's my job to make it hotter than hell in here. The furnace has got to work somehow. And running A.C. is just too expensive for this little business. I was fixing Ricks' rake. Boy broke it pretty bad on something…stupid chickens…GRAY! Come 'ere!"

Asuka could hear that someone was in the back of the shop. It didn't mean anything until now.

"Yeah, what'cha want Gram-" _My_ _God, she's beautiful!_

"Meet the girl who is taking over Mikes' farm. Asuka, this is my grandson, Gray."

"Hi, Gray." _Hey sexy._

"H-hi, Asuka" Gray said as he reached out his hand while he was walking towards her.

Clunk crash

"Gray! Watch what your doin'! Those welding tools sit there everyday ya know."

Gray, enroute to shake Asuka's hand, bumped into a pile of tools, knocking them and himself over.

"Need some help?" Asuka asked. _Aww, he's so shy it's…kinda cute._

"Um….well….uh..I'm fine." Gray stated while finally fixing the pile he had managed to knock over. "Welcome to the Boonies."

"Thanks." Asuka said just now being able to shake his hand.

"Uh, I gotta….go fix something for…Mary! Yeah, so… see you later!." Gray put out on his way back into the back of the shop.

"He's not very good with new people," Saibara said as he watched Gray's retreating back. "Let alone women. Anyway, if you ever need any help with your tools, come bug us. I'm always willing to turn on the furnace and make it hotter than hell to fix it for you."

"Hahaha. Thanks for the offer. I'm sure at some point I'll break something." _Aw, poor Gray. Just embarrassed the hell out of himself. Hehe, so cute._

"We better get going. Asuka has a lot to do with her new farm, don'tcha?" The Mayor asked as he patted her back. Rather roughly.

Oof "Yea, I do Mayor Thomas." _Damn. Almost forgot about that dump. That field is going to take _forever

(A.N. A warn out laptop, an overused Linkin Park CD, and 1,602 words later I have finished my first chapter! WoOt! I hope y'all liked it. This is my first HM fic so give me a break, okay? Flames are okay, but please don't put just: "god u suk. dont rigt anymor." Tell me why I suck, okay? Thank you!)

Livi:Hey! I don't suck!

Laywer: Someone always disagrees. Get the fuck over it.

Livi: inhales You're a mean Lawyer! snivels


	2. Cleanup

Hi again peoples! Sorry about the last chapter. None of the symbols before or after the "sounds" showed up. Neither did the dividers! So I'm gonna use simpler symbols for the actions and a bunch of random numbers for the dividers, okay? Sorry about the confusion. Enjoy!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi still doesn't own anything worth taking, let alone any sort of video game.

Livi: Why are you so fucking mean! Now you're forgetting about my Game Cube and the games for it!

Lawyer: That still doesn't count. Whether you want to it to or not.

"speech" _thoughts _! actions or sounds ! emphasis

Chapter 2: Cleanup

Spring, Day 4

"God! Two days of cleaning and those fucking weeds still keep coming back!"

When Asuka and the Mayor had returned to her farm two days ago, she decided to start cleaning. She first wanted to pick out all of the weeds. Then she would get rid of all the rocks she couldn't use for making fences. After that, the debris would be removed and disposed of. And then, she could start to till the land to plant. But those damn weeds wouldn't go away.

_Maybe_, Asuka wondered with an evil gleam in her eye, _I could drop a small nuke on the fields and get rid of all the we-_

! bark !

"Ahhh!"

Something startled Asuka so bad, she dropped her sickle and fell backward. Really hard.

"Owies. What the fuck was- aww, hi cutie!"

In front of her, was a dog.

_Definitely a mutt. Terrier mix maybe?_

Whether it was a terrier or not, he was adorable. He was a smaller light brown dog with droopy ears. Or at least, he was a light brown color. His fur was too dirty and matted to tell the difference.

"Now where did you come from?"

! bark !

"Nowhere, huh? Hehe. Don't think I've ever been there. How about we get you cleaned up, okay?"

! bark !

"Alrighty then. Follow me."

And surprisingly, he did. All the way to the river. He let Asuka bathe him, too. She was right about his fur color. After getting cleaned, it was easily 2 shades lighter.

"Okee pokee Buster Brown. Would you like to stay with me?"

! bark !

"Sweeeet. I'm lonely anyhow…"

! whines !

"Oh not anymore ya nerd. Now, what shall I name you?... How about Sparky?"

! growls !

"Okay! Maybe not…. Scotch?"

! growls !

"Yikes.. fine. I get it. You want a real name, don't cha?"

! bark!

"How about we try… Ciro?"

! happily barks !

"Yay! Welcome, Ciro, to my two being family!"

! bark !

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That dog never ran off either. Asuka couldn't get the poor thing off the farm. Not that it bugged her, though.

"Bye, Ciro! Off to the supermarket."

! bark !

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_Now where was that Supermarket again?_

35 minutes of wandering later, Asuka still hadn't found the market.

_I thought this place was tiny! It can't be that hard to find…_

"Hi Asuka. How are you?"

! turns around !

"Oh, hi Karen. And… Rick right?"

"Yup. I'm surprised you remembered my name. Cause I couldn't remember yours…"

"Shuddup Rick!" Karen said, elbowing Rick in the ribs.

"Ow, Karen! What was tha-"

"So Asuka. Do you need help with anything?"

"Um, yeah, I do actually." _Poor Rick. _"Could you tell me where the Supermarket is?"

Karen said nothing. She just stood there. A few seconds later, she burst out laughing.

"Ahahaha! this place is so hahaha! tiny haha! and you can't find that! hahahaha!"

Rick looked like he wanted to run away and never come back. Karen, on the other hand, was now on the ground laughing.

"Um…yeah.."

"Okay." Karen was up and was not laughing. "Come on, I'll show you."

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"Aw come on Daddy! It's just a few seeds! Asuka needs them!" Karen pleaded with a simply pathetic puppy-dog pout directed towards her father. By this point, Rick had taken off.

"But for free?"

"Yes, please!"

"Um, Karen? It's fine, really. I've gotta buy some dog food anyway."

"You've got a dog!"

"Yeah. I just found 'im and I plan on keeping 'im so-"

"I hate dogs."

"Wa-what?"

Karen stopped off to the back room and closed the door.

"What the hell is wrong with her!" Asuka asked Jeff as she walked towards the counter.

"She had a dog once." Jeff started as he stared off into space. "But it died suddenly. Nobody knew why. She's hated them ever since."

"That's terrible.."

"Hold on." Jeff left the counter for a bit and came back with a big bag of dog food. "Here. Keep this and those seeds. Karen didn't have to pout for them anyway."

"Jeff! Let me at least pay for the dog food!"

"Don't worry about it. Just take it. It's yours for putting up with Karens' P.M.S.ing."

"Ha. Very funny…Okay fine. Parents know best. Thank you!"

"Any time. But the next bag won't be free."

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"Damn, this thing is heavy!"

That Big bag of dog food was big. Easily 20 pounds. The bag was slung over one shoulder while the other hand was carrying a bag of Spring seeds.

"Hiya Asuka."

"Jesus! Now who's calling my name!"

"It's Ann silly."

"Can't turn around, Ann. Bag's too heavy."

! snickers ! "Do you need help with that?"

"Yes!"

An enormous weight was lifted off of Asukas' shoulders. Literally.

"Thanks. Now what's with you people and greeting me to my back, huh?"

"I dunno. I just ran into you that way is all."

"Okay then Miss Body Builder. Don't 'cha think that's kinda heavy?"

"Not really. You try carrying around glass plates with people screaming at you for more food. It's a lot harder."

"Wouldn't doubt it…"

"Don't worry about it. A few weeks of farming and you'll be just fine. Come on, let's get this back to your farm."

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! munch munch crunch munch !

"Hungry enough, Ciro?"

! munch bark munch !

"Hey Ciro, are you gonna help me plant all of these spiffy seeds?"

! growls !

"Ha ha. Very funny. Well, this might take me days. Better get started…. Damn dog! You should be helping me!"

! growls again !

(A.N. Two days after posting the first chapter I have finished the second one. YAY! Go me! Or not. 16 hits and not a SINGLE one of you let me know how good or bad I was! Come on people. I don't ask for much. Someone has got to fuel my pathetic muse. Review please! Oh, do any of you have an account on Gaia Online? If you do, come talk to me! I check my PMs everyday. My name is Female Punk)

Livi: Nobody loves me! cries !

Lawyer: Not true. Your dog and boyfriend do.

Livi: Good point…


	3. Work Starts

Hi again peoples! I hope you like my third installment of Fallen Feather. Please enjoy it! This one took me a little longer to write….

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi still doesn't own the Harvest Moon series. But she does own Asuka, as she created that character.

Livi: See! I told you I owned something!

Lawyer: But Asuka is worth nothing. She is not a material item, nor is she a real person.

Livi: You can't say that! She's real to me! runs into a small dark corner and cries. !

"speech" _thoughts _! actions or sounds ! emphasis

Chapter 3 Work Starts

Spring, Day 8

! bang bang ping bang !

"There! All done."

The farm now had a name. 'Thunderstruck Farm' as the new sign read that Asuka was hanging up. She had to take down the old sign, which could no longer be read, and nail her sign to its' old place. She spent two days alone just making and painting the new sign. She was quite proud at how well it turned out. Considering the fact that Asuka can't paint for shit.

"Thunderstruck? What kind of name is that?"

"Hey!" Asuka said as she climbed down her latter, "I like it. And who are you?"

"Name's Cliff. I just got here from abroad."

_Cliff, huh? Not too bad looking either. Damn, this town is full of good looking people!_

Cliff, as he proclaimed himself to be, had long brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail. A white and darker brown sleeveless hoodie adorned his shoulders. On top of that was a lighter brown vest. Cliff looked like he had been run ragged.

"Well, Cliff, my name is Asuka and this is my farm."

"Nice to meet you Asuka. But where did the name come from?"

"Thunderstruck? Oh. When I first came to own this farm it looked like a storm had blown over it. And you can't have a good storm without thunder, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Cliff, Asuka guessed, was fairly shy. Because after talking he would stare at his feet.

"Do you need something, Cliff?"

"Ah…..um….I kinda.."

"You need work, right?"

"Uh...hey! How did you know?"

"Hehe. I'm not stupid. Your clothes. They look old and they need to be washed. So it looks like you need money."

"Oh…So, can I?"

"Sure. I don't have any livestock or anything yet. But my crops take a lot to look after. And those damn weeds! Those are evil, too."

! lightly chuckles ! "So far, it looks fine to me."

Since Asuka had bought the farm, the entire place looked better. There were a little bit of weeds. She had a few plots of turnip and cucumber growing already. Some grass had started to grow on the far side of the fields.

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So Asuka put Cliff to work. Mainly he plucked weeds and watered plants. She also had him till more soil. She didn't leave him to do it all! She did half of the work.

After three good, long hours of working, Asuka proclaimed them done.

"Okee pokee, Cliff. Take this for three hours of honest work."

Asuka handed Cliff a wad of paper. Cliff took one glance at it and was automatically nervous.

"Asuka! This is way too much! I can't take this…."

"Oh, yes you can! Go out and buy some new clothes, okay?"

Cliff was still staring at his feet.

"Do you need a place to stay, too?"

"Oh no," Cliff said, finally looking up. "That's already been taken care of. But are you sure you want me to take all of this?"

"Yes. Now come back in three or four days so we can do it all over again, okay?"

"Um, yeah…sure."

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Asuka and Cliff had agreed to let him work twice a week. For not nearly as much each time, of course. Asuka figured she didn't need a lot of help, but Cliff needed the job.

Afterwards, she let Cliff go with his very large sum of Gold for one day.

On his way out, Cliff passed Gray. Who didn't look very pleased to see Cliff there.

"Hey, Asuka. Um, what's up with Cliff?"

"Hi Gray! Cliff asked if I could give him a job here, so I let him work. My fields look much better."

"You let him work here? Asuka, you should know that Cliff is a-"

"Very nice guy who was just looking for some money! Leave him alone, Gray. Besides, Cliff and I have decided to let him work on my farm twice a week. Got a problem with that?"

Gray didn't look too happy to hear that.

Asuka found him very unnerving. Coming to see her was way out of character for him. Let alone him talking this much. She had never gotten him to talk like that at one time before. She's only run into him a few times since they first met, though. But that didn't make it any different. _Whatever happened to the cute, quiet guy I met?_

"Did you come here to tell me who and who shouldn't employ or was there something else?

"No, that wasn't it. I came here to ask if you needed any help. But it looks like you already had some…"

Gray solemnly gave Asuka a small nod and walked away.

_Bastard! I liked her first. Leave her alone. Why can't Asuka see that Cliff's a……_

_What the hell was that? Totally odd for Gray……_

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Later that night at the Inn, a few townspeople had gathered to discuss their new neighbor.

"I like her. I think she could do some good to this small town." The orange haired Ann said as she sat down at a table full of people. Too bad she was the only one under the age of 22. Being Dougs' daughter had its advantages. Like being able to sit at an adult meeting, even though no 'younger' people were allowed.

"I heard that she had Cliff over." Gossip-loving Manna stated. "Wonder what he was doingto her."

"Nonsence, Manna!" Doug retorted. "Cliff has turned over a new leaf! He is not the person he once was. Now let's not go into that topic, please..."

"But Asuka never leaves that farm," Basil said. "She could be growing pot for all we know!"

"She's not." Saibara said. "Gray was over there today. He said that it looks really good, too. She's got quite a few Spring seeds growing. He wasn't in a very good mood when he came home, though…"

"I gave her those seeds. She's got lots to do with that farm. Didn't any of you see the condition it was in before she bought it?" Jeff interjected. Silence. "Give her a few more weeks and I'm sure we'll see more of her."

"I sure hope so!" One of the quieter townsfolk yelled.

"She'll be fine." The Mayor said, finally walking in. "Just leave her alone. This 'meeting' is over."

Even some of the people who didn't get the chance to talk looked thoughtful as they prepared to leave.

Unknown to anyone in the room, a pair of dark brown eyes had been watching them the entire time.

(A.N. Dun dun dun! Oooo, nifty. What's up with Cliff? What is he really? And Gray! Totally weird right? You shall know soon enough! Muahahaha!

Alright peoples, I have finished the third chapter. It's getting interesting, ne? XD Three days after posting the second chapter you have the third! Wow, three chapters in six days…I don't know if I can keep up with this pace. So, don't expect me to update sooner than once a week, okay? You'll get the next chapter when it's done. What do you expect? I have summer homework for A.P. World History. I have to read 4 more books, which are really thick, finish a long work sheet packet, and give an overall summery of each book! That's a lot to do in 8 weeks! O.O Scary, ne? Now, if you want to show me that you love my story, like it, or hate it, then REVIEW PLEASE! XP You know you want to.)


	4. Broken Tool

Hiya peoples! Here ish me next installment of Fallen Feather! Hope ya'll like it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own the Harvest Moon Franchise, no matter how many times she dreams she does.

Livi: Damnit, Lawyer! You know I don't own it! Besides, if I did there would be more games with chicks in it and they would have red hair, not blonde. Duh, dumbass!

"speech" _thoughts_ ! actions or sounds ! emphasis

Chapter 4 Broken Tool

Spring, Day 19

"Good morning, Asuka."

"Oh, hi Barley! What brings you to my farm?" Asuka asked as she looked up from watering her plants.

"I brought something with me for you," Barley stated as he moved to one side. Behind him was a beautiful brown colt.

"Oh wow! Is he for me?" Asuka said as she ran up to pet the small animal. _Aw, he's so cute! _

"Yes. I saw how excited you were at the races yesterday and thought about how you would do with a horse of your own. Besides, I don't have room anymore for the little guy. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"No I would not! What's 'is name?" Asuka said gleefully with a giant smile. _Such an adorable horse should have a good name. _

"He doesn't have one yet. I thought you might want to name him."

"Well, then lets' see…….. How about Vincent?" Asuka looked at the horse as she said this. He looked back at her with an angry glare.

"Jesus! Okay, then. Something else…" _Why don't my animals like the first names I give them!_ "How 'bout we shorten that Mister Grumpy Horse…Vinnie?"

! neighs happily !

"Vinnie it is then. You take good care of him now Asuka. By fall he should be big enough to ride him. So I better be seeing you at the Fall races."

"Happy to oblige, Barley. I'm not sure how well such a young horse will race, be we'll find out."

At this he said his good byes to the colt and walked away.

"Okay Vinnie! Follow me around your new home."

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While showing Vinnie around, Asuka told him of her life at the farm. Sure, he couldn't reply, but he was an active listener.

After Cliff started his 'job' at the farm, Asuka found it hard to touch the weeds that were prominent all over her fields. She quickly got used to the fact that she paid someone to do it for her. So she left them alone.

Cliff was, so far, a great worker and had yet to complain. With every visit, Asuka found herself growing more and more fond of him… She didn't pay him a lot, but it seemed enough for Cliff. And he loved his new clothes. Exactly the same. Just not torn.

Asuka was surprised by the fact that her farm was not the main source of her income. The farm did make a fair amount of money, but the mine brought it a lot more. She now made trips almost daily to the Spring Mine. She found it such fun to find out how many new lower levels she could discover in one day. _Zach paid a lot for those ores! Might as well make money off of them._

Too bad today was the day she broke her hammer. While trying to break a peculiar looking rock she broke her poor hammer instead! But the damn rock did crack. Inside was some sort of shiny material that was pink! _Now what floor am I on again?_

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After donning something cleaner and discovering a stray silver ore lying around, Asuka walk up towards the blacksmith.

_Good thing they're open today. I rely too much on my hammer for it to remain broken. _

! ding ding ding !

"Hello! Anybody here?"

When she walked in, nobody was standing at the counter. This was quite odd considering the fact that Saibara was always here. Normally he would be looking over Grays' shoulder scrutinizing whatever he was working on.

"Yeah, hold on!" Came a voice from the back. Once a moment elapsed, Gray emerged removing hot pads from his hands. He was probably doing foundry work.

"H-hi, Asuka. What do you need?"

"I would like to get my tool fixed and upgraded."

Gray held out his hand. Asuka suspected that he wanted her tool, so she gave him the pieces.

He took a moment to look at it. He placed the pieces on the counter and put the few parts back in place.

"Asuka, how did you break this? These tools are hard to break. Upgraded ones are almost impossible to even dent."

Surprised by his quite blunt statement, it took Asuka a moment to answer.

"I was in the mine, hit a rock, and it broke."

"What? Just one rock? Did the rock itself even break?"

"No. But it cracked pretty bad in the middle."

"What did the inside look like?"

"It was pink and really reflective."

Gray was taken aback by this. He had to put his hand on the counter to steady himself so he wouldn't fall over.

"What level of the mine were you on!"

"I dunno. Lost count after 127…"

"No shit! What you found was something called Pink Diamond. One ore of that stuff sells for 20,000 Gold!"

"Holy fuck! I should have kept that damn rock…"

"This standard level hammer isn't strong enough to break something that hard. And I don't ever want to hear that you ever went past level 30 ever again, do you hear me? After that the mine is a dangerous place!"

"I know that! I've read all of the signs and precautions. And I know that parts of it are known to collapse. I need the money, Gray! The farther down I go, the more I get."

"It's dangerous, though! I won't upgrade this tool unless you promise to not go below 30."

"Jesus Christ, Gray! You are not my mother! I can take care of myself. Besides, it's my life. When have you ever taken an active interest in it?"

Gray was stunned to say the least. _Why can't Asuka see that people die down there! And why can't she see that I care about her?_

"Gray!" Came Saibara from out of nowhere. "Leave the poor girl alone!"

"Gramps, it's not safe down there!" Gray didn't seem to know where to direct his yelling.

Saibara had just now walked through the front door.

"Asuka will be just fine. She's an adult and knows how to take care of herself." After speaking Saibara then turned to Asuka. "This tool costs 2000 Gold and will take two days to complete. Come back then." He said as he, almost rudely, guided Asuka out the front door.

_Fuck it! Gray and his Grandfather have something against me, I swear…_

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"Gray, if you ever treat a customer like that again, I will be forced to forbid you from this shop. Do you here me?" Saibara yelled at Gray right after he had kicked Asuka out.

"Fine! But she needs to be more careful! Mines fall apart from age!"

"And I'm sure she knows that! Now don't harass her about it. It's up to her to decide where she gets her money from."

"Okay, I get it….Now where have you been? You took off last night and I didn't here from you till… well, about now!"

"Nowhere… It's none of your business!" At that Saibara stomped off to the back of his store, where he slept for the rest of the day, and well into the next.

(A.N. Hi again! OOOooo, sneaky Saibara! What has he been up to? XP

Sorry about my long update time. I got sick and my mom wouldn't let my near the computer because of it. So yeah. XD Ish all I got. The next chapter will be out sooner, I promise! Love, like, or completely despise my story? Let me know by reviewing! Pretty please? Love ya'll!)


	5. Catastrophe

Hi again peoples! Here ish chapter five! XD Sorry 'bout being a day late. This chapter has my twisted sense of fluff, so it took a day longer to write. PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR NOTE AT THE BOTTOM! Enjoy!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own Harvest Moon or anything that would be considered in her words, 'spiffy.'

Livi: That's not true, either! I finally got my Zelda Ocarina Monday! That is totally spiffy!

Lawyer: Whatever you say Livi…

"speech" _thoughts_ ! actions and sounds ! emphasis

Chapter 5 Catastrophe

Summer, Day 3

"Gawd, it's so fucking hot!"

Why was it that the first day of summer it's automatically hot? No transition in weather, no muss, no fuss. Just a nice cool Spring day one day and the next it's blazing hot Summer weather. Asuka had yet to know.

"It's probably 38 or 39 degrees Celsius out here! Jesus!"

She was just glad that Cliff had stopped by earlier. Got all of the major work done before it got hot. Sure, her new chickens Isabella and Francesca loved it. But that didn't mean she had to.

After finishing what Cliff wasn't paid to do, she prepared to leave. Good thing Asuka planed to go to the mine today. The farther down she went, the cooler it got.

"Ciro, I'm taking off! Watch the house, horse and chickens for me, would'ja?

! bark !

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! clunk !

_Silver_.

! clunk !

_Nothing_.

! clunk !

_Gold_.

! clunk !

_Mystrile_.

_If I keep filling my basket with Mystrile, I'll be rich in no time._

Of course Asuka didn't heed Gray's warning. Here she was on the 32nd floor of the mine and she was fine.

With every clunk, a new stone broke, revealing either an ore or completely nothing.

Suddenly, a flash of light erupts from the darkness 20-25 meters to her left. Only an oil lamp or flash light could cause such a glow. Both were means to discover the source of the light.

As Asuka traveled closer, the distinct clunking of breaking rock could be heard more and more clearly.

At only 2 meters away, Asuka could clearly distinguish that the person was male. She just had no idea who it was. She was surprised by the fact the he had yet to neither see nor hear her. She blamed the account that his back was turned to her.

"Excuse me?"

At the abrupt noise, he was quiet startled. He knocked his, now she could see what it was, flashlight over in his fall.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's not everyday that you run into someone in a mine." She stated as she stuck out her hand to help him up.

As he was halfway up, Asuka could finally tell who it was.

"Gray!" And she proceeded to let go of his hand. He fell over again.

"Ow! A-as-Asuka! W-what are you doing down here?"

"Making money. How about you?" Now she was pissed. Here was the guy who told her not to go any lower than 30 levels and here he was! Not even listening to his own fucking advice.

"You shouldn't be down here, you know. It's not-"

"Safe in the mines below level 30. I know!" Asuka said, cutting him off. "So then what are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm..a…" _Oh shit! I need an excuse.._

"Well?"

"Um… Gramps sent me down here looking for a certain ore that he needed!" _That's partly true anyway. _

"What ore were you looki-"

Off in the distance, the sound of falling and crumbling rocks could be heard.

"Wha?"

"Asuka, we need to get out of here!"

"I know!... Gray, move!"

The ceiling above Gray had begun to crumble. Without thinking, Asuka pulled Gray towards herself, knocking them both over.

A cry of pain shot out from Gray. Too bad he had landed right on top of Asuka. His cry erupted loudly in her ear.

"Are you okay! What's wrong?"

"My foot… ben crushed." Was his broken answer.

"Um, Gray? I can't help you unless you get off of me." Good thing it was fairly dark. Gray couldn't see the blush that was slowly creeping across her face when she realized their closeness.

"Sorry." He had just now noticed this, also. He was breathing into her neck as he lay on her. He too was glad for the dark. He had started to blush. He then tried to get up. It seemed Gray could only lift his torso up off of Asuka. She managed to crawl out from under him.

Finally being able to stand, Asuka could assess the damage done to his foot.

! inhales sharply ! "Gray…"

It looked like Gray's left foot was gone. All she could see was his leg and then a huge pile of rubble.

"Gray, I'm gonna try to remove the rocks. The instant you feel the pressure lift off your foot you need to move it, okay?"

"Mmhm."

She quickly looked around to locate her scattered possessions. She discovered her hoe and hammer.

A couple minutes later, she had removed all of the rocks except the one crushing his foot.

Using her hammer, she broke off the loose pieces to make it lighter. With her hoe she dug out the ground behind it so she could roll the rock off easier.

"Alrighty, Gray, be prepared. One, two, thr-eee!"

With her legs, Asuka pushed with all of her might to move it. It shifted, but not enough for Gray to remove his foot. Unfortunately for him, Asuka had to put the rock back down, crushing his foot again. Another small cry rang out.

"Gray, it's too heavy!"

His breathing was heavy from the renewed surge of pain coursing through his leg.

"Go get somebody to…help you. Go find Gotz! He'll be the….closest."

"No! If this part of the mine collapses again, you'll be crushed. I couldn't live with that on my chest!"

Asuka attempted to move the rock again.

"I-won't-leave-you-here!"

In a sudden burst of adrenaline, she managed to move the rock. It rolled into the hollowed out ground behind it.

"Gray, let me see your foot."

He didn't day anything. He was finally able to get off his stomach and sit down properly.

Blood had started to seep through his shoe. Asuka had started to remove it, but it only got worse. _Shit! I need something to stop the flow. _

Without thinking, she removed her tank top.

"What are you doing!" Gray stumbled, looking away.

"I needed something ! rrrrrriippp ! to stop the blood."

After ripping apart her top with her teeth, Asuka used the strips of fabric to bind his foot. She removed the shoe laces. She then put the shoe back on. The laces were then wrapped around the shoe to bind it tighter. While this was taking place, chatter filled the mine.

"You could have used my jacket, you know." Gray said, still looking away.

"I wouldn't have been able to rip it." All the while try to fix up his foot. "There, done."

"Th-thanks." He was still not looking at her.

"Gray! Just pretend I'm wearing a bikini top, okay?" After all, the only thing she was wearing were her jeans and cameo bra.

"Um…okay.." Gray said as he finally looked at her, too afraid to even glance down.

"Can you stand?"

"Maybe." Using the wall as a support, he was able to stand up on his uninjured foot. "I could hop, but I wouldn't dare put weight on my left."

"That's okay. Let me help you."

Asuka walked towards Gray and took hold of his left arm. She placed this arm around her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Now try to walk with me." She left it all behind: her basket, backpack, tools, everything. She just hoped they would still be there when she came back for them later. _This is going to be a loooong walk._

Gray just had to concentrate on not looking down.

Off in the distance falling rocks could be heard shifting and falling.

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After getting halfway through her farm, Gray passed out. Asuka was surprised he lasted this long. Now she had to readjust,since he couldn't help walk with her anymore.Although poor Gray was still being partly dragged.

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Asuka thought it was odd that she didn't run into a single person on her way to the Clinic. It was eerily quiet.

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"Doctor….Elli…" Asuka whispered as she kicked the door to the Clinic open. Now she was completely exhausted.

Doctor was walking by studying a clipboard.

"Asuka!" He said looking up.

"Doc…..Gray…needs help...foot crushed." She collapsed.

"Asuka! Gray!" He practically yelled as he dropped his clipboard and rushed over to them.

"Elli! I need you over here now!"

_Darkness_.

(Authors Note: Muahahaha! Did you like my oddkind offluff? XD Wonder what happened to them. K

Some people want a Gray x Asuka story, some people want a Cliff x Asuka story. Fortunately for me, I already have chosen a guy. Even before I started to write this I knew. But for you, you won't find out till later! Muahaha! XP

I know you guys love me, but you sure don't show it. I only got one review for the last chapter. ! cries ! So, if you want the next chapter out on time, I would hope to get at least three reviews! Or I could not help the inevitable delay of the next chapter. Okee pokee! Good. I'm glad you all understand that. Now review please!)


	6. Recovery

Hi again peoples! Sorry about the long wait. I was waiting for my 3 reviews! And once I got them, I had to actually write the chapter. LoL. So special thanks to Evilwings, Hikari Blaze, and rosebabykiss for replying to my request for three reviews! Cookies for you!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own Harvest Moon. She needs to quit asking me to make her dreams about this come true.

Livi: What's wrong with dreaming! And you're my lawyer! You should be able to do something about that! What do I pay you for?

Lawyer: Actually, you don't pay me at all.

Livi: O.o

"speech" ! actions or sounds ! emphasis.

Chapter 6: Recovery

Summer, Day 6

"Elli, Gray can be released today. Just make sure that…"

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"Gray! You've been here all day! You need your rest, too."

"But she saved my lif-"

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"Can you believe she's still asleep?"

"It is odd. It's been two days and she still…"

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"Nn."

The moment Asuka started to open her eyes, she regretted it. Wherever she was, it was too fucking bright.

As she moved her arm to cover her neglected eyes, she heard a curtain pull open.

"Asuka! Are you awake?"

"Nn… yeah… unfortunately."

"Do you know who you are talking to?"

"Yeah, Elli. Now quit with the shitty questions, where am I?" Of course Asuka had yet to know. Her eyes were still covered.

"It's just procedure. Don't get so snappy. You're in the Clinic."

"I'm what!" Asuka screeched, abruptly sitting up.

"Don't move so fast! You're most likely still tired and sore. And you might wake up Gray."

"Gra-oh."

She just now noticed him. Gray was seated in a chair next to her bed. His head was neatly resting on his arms. He was fast asleep on her bed.

"He's been here all three days. It's rare to see this kind of devotion in anyone."

"Aww- wait three days!" Asuka yelled in a poor attempt to keep quiet.

"Yes. That's how long you've been asleep. I expected you to be out for awhile. Well, the Doctor did anyway. He was amazed at how much energy it must have taken to drag Gray all the way here from the mine."

"I didn't even think I would be able to get him out of the mines in the first place."

Elli just smiled. With that all-knowing smile you would just hate.

"When you feel like moving, just alert the Doctor or I. We need to give you a clean bill of health before you can be released."

When she finished, she gave Asuka an odd look. Then she walked away, closing the partition curtain behind her.

_I wonder how well Gray faired._ At that though, he started to stir. _Guess I'll find out now._

He must not have noticed that she was awake. All he did was sit up, rub his eyes, and stretch. Then he finally looked at her.

All of the sudden his eyes were filled with shock.

_Ohmygawdshe'sawake!_

Rather quickly, his hands were in his lap and he was staring at them.

"H-how are you feeling?"

"Fine. You?"

"I'm surviving… Um..."

"Yes?"

"Um…ah…th-thanks." He stated rather meekly.

"For what?" She was playing the dumb route. Of course she knew what. But she wanted to see how Gray put it.

"For saving…my life."

"It's no biggy. Don't worry about it." Suddenly Asuka was self conscience. And blushing.

"Well, yeah I have to worry about it! If you weren't down in the mine you might not have gotten hurt. And had you not been down there I might not be alive right now..." Finally he was looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Jesus, Gray! I wasn't hurt. Just asleep for three days…Fuck! My animals!" Her poor animals. They must not have been fed it three days! Making way to get up, Gray stopped her.

"Taken care of. Rick looked after your chickens. Barley tended to your other farm animals and Cliff looked after the fields"

"Oh. I have to thank them all then…" She stated, leaning back again.

After an awkward silence, Gray took this moment to stand up to leave. Before he got up, though, Asuka interrupted him.

She quickly sat up again and gave Gray a light peck on the cheek.

Gray, stunned, and halfway up, froze. It was completely unexpected. Especially from Asuka. Now he was the one blushing. Once the initial shock wore off, he grabbed something that was leaning against the bed and hobbled off. Crutches.

"Gray! Your foot…"

Turning around, he said, "I'll be fine. Doctor said that in two weeks I'll be able to walk." He gave Asuka an adorable smile. It was made even cuter by the light blush that was still adorning his cheeks. He then made his way out.

Once he was gone, Asuka let out the breath that she was unknowingly holding in.

After she was sure he was gone, she called Elli in. She wanted to get the hell out of the dreary Clinic as soon as possible.

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Doctor released Asuka with only one word of advice: No heavy work for two days and she would be fine.

On her seemingly long walk home, it was almost like she ran into every single villager. They all thanked her saving Gray and for her bravery.

_Well, maybe the villagers will like me a little bit more now._

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On her return to her farm, she found Cliff watering her plants.

"Hey Cliff." She whispered. She didn't think he would hear her. But he did, because he looked up.

"Asuka! Hey, are you all right?" He said as he dropped the watering can and practically ran towards her.

"I'm fine. My farm looks great, thanks."

"Don't thank me. You were healing at the Clinic and I couldn't just let your saplings die. It was the least I could do."

"Well, again, thank you anyway. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm plan on relaxing for the rest of the day."

After a solemn nod to Cliff, Asuka walked in to her home and closed the door behind her.

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Inside on the table were three separate notes. One was from Rick, another Barley, and the last was from Cliff. They all said things along the line of what each of them did while she was gone. None of them expected any money in return for their help. Cliffs' note had all of the money that was collected from Zack for the days that she as gone.

_I'll have to write the three of them thank you notes. _

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Outside, Cliff remained. He had yet to leave.

_That's it! Just a thank you! Don't I get more?_

He walked away, seething.

(A.N. Ooo, another shady side to Cliff! Creepy. T.T

Hope ya'll like this chapter. I'm sorry if it isn't up to my normal standards. Cause it's just a filler. It wasn't planed at all. Then again, I hadn't planed on ending the last chapter the way I did anyway. XD So yeah.

I hope this chapter gave you hints on where Asukas' heart really is. If you can't figure it out by now then that's REALLY sad.

Loved me chapie? Then review! No requests this time, but I know what to expect. XP)


	7. Foundry

Hi again peoples! OMFG I'm soooo sorry that I'm almost a week late! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I got held up by a lot of stuff. Read the A.N. at the bottom if you wanna know why!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own Harvest Moon, or any of the characters in the game.

Livi: I own all 26 volumes of Inuyasha, though! So can I own him?

Lawyer: No. It doesn't work that way.

Livi: NOES. ! **runs away and cries** !

"speech" _thoughts_ ! **actions or sounds** ! emphasis

Chapter 7: Foundry

Summer, Day 11

_I wonder if everyone got their thank you notes. None of them have said anything yet, so I don't know._

The day after Asuka got out of the Clinic, things were different. People started to visit her. It was almost scary how fast these changes took place. One day she saves Gray's cute ass and the next the whole town loves her. She might even have friends now, besides Gray and Cliff of course.

Elli and Ann stopped by on the 7th. Elli claimed that she wanted to make sure she did no hard work. Ann just wanted to help. So Asuka put them to work. Neither of them knew a flying rat's ass about farming, but they were quick learners. It was nice having females to talk to. Now she had friends; friends who worked for 3 days for free. That was an added bonus.

But she still had no idea if any of the people who were mailed thank you notes received them. Cliff had yet to say something about it. Or anything at all, for that matter. He had become very quiet since her return. Asuka knew she'd discover why. Someday.

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After finishing up with her animals and crops, Asuka decided to visit Gray.

When Saibara found out about Gray's leg, he went into a frenzy. One would think a person would be nice after discovering something like that, but not him. He complained that his business would go down with one less person. So Asuka thought that she would lessen his suffering.

! **creeeeeeeeek** !

_Jesus, this door is noisy. Was it like this the last time I came to visit?_

! **sniff sniff** ! _Bleck! It smells funny, too._

"Hey, anybody in here?" Asuka yelled, finally stepping in past the door.

"Hold on!" Sounds of someone getting up emanated from the back. Then the scrape of crutches against the floor.

_Must be Gray._

"Hello, Gray."

"Hi, Asuka. How did'ja know it was me?" Gray asked, emerging from the darkness.

"Crutches, dummy."

"Oh. Yeah, that would give it away…. What did you need?"

"I wanted to know if you needed any help. I know it's harder to work when you can't stand."

This was completely true. He could not stand. All the work previously done on his feet had to be relearned sitting down.

"Sure, I guess. I was working on a foundry project, but that's easy. So you can do that."

"That's fine with me. But, is Saibara here?" Asuka asked quietly, looking around. Every time she came to visit, he was grumpier and grumpier.

! **chuckles** ! "Luckily, no. I haven't seen much of him lately, so don't worry about it."

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Hours later, Asuka had completed a few lopsided brooches. Gray's of course, were a lot better, even though he couldn't stand.

"Arg! Mine look like shit."

"No they don't. You're doing well for your first try. My first ones were a lot worse."

"Really?"

"Yes. But, I didn't have any help."

"Well then of course your's were worse, dumbass! I'm getting help."

"Yeah, okay. You just have to pound the clay more. You can't have any air pockets."

"Oh, I got it… Um, hey Gray, I-"

"Gray! Gets ur asses o'er 'ere naw!"

"Yikes! Gramps is home. You better go."

"Yeah, probably. Thanks, Gray."

Asuka quietly skirted out the front door. Saibara didn't notice her.

"Gramps, you sound stoned!" Gray stated, getting up on his crutches.

"New 'im not. 'Ust let me sweep."

"Whatever you've been doing, Gramps, you need to quit-"

The hard sound of skin hitting skin reverberated through the Forge as Saibara punched poor Gray. Then Saibara retreated into his room to sleep.

_Stupid boi! Don' know nuttin._

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Cliff showed up later than normal later that day. Asuka found him pulling weeds when she returned from the Forge.

"Oh, hi Cliff. You're kinda late today." _More like 6 hours late. That's a little odd._

"Hey Asuuuuuuka." Cliff stumbled, trying to yank out a particularly large weed. "I got held up at the Inn. I got up really late, and in my haste to get here I ran into Ann. She was carrying a ton of dishes and they all broke. So I got stuck washing dishes to pay for the ones I broke."

"Oh, nice! Smartass, much? Next time, watch where you're going." _Wow, that's the most he's said since I returned from the mine with Gray._

"Cha, plan to. Got anything for me to do?"

"Naw. Just finish weeding. I finished everything else before you get here."

"Okay."

"I'll be at the Hot Spring. I'm coming back in two hours. You're pay is on the kitchen table."

"Thanks."

"Yep. See you later."

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"Um, Gotz? What's with all the wood?" On her way to the Hot Spring, Asuka found Gotz with a rather large pile of chopped wood.

"Oh, this?" Gotz asked, putting down his axe. "Ya know that empty lot near the Forge?"

"What about it?"

"Somebody bought it. He's paying me to build a house on that lot. And he's paying for all the wood."

"Wow. Cool. Have you met this person yet?"

"Naw. He's contacting me through an agency. But the house will be finished in a few days. A few days after that he's gonna move in."

"Spiffy. Well, I'll let you continue with your chopping. I know you'll do a fine job. 'Cause my house looks great." Asuka had gotten a house extension finished a little while ago. She loved all the new room.

"Thanks. You see later!"

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"Hello, Hot Spring!"

Good thing it was now practically dark. Asuka didn't have to worry about peeping toms.

Setting aside her spare clothes and shampoo bottles, she stripped and jumped right in. The warm water almost immediately soothed her aching muscles.

"Ahhhh. Sooo good."

! **rustle rustle** !

"Who's there!" Quickly sitting up, Asuka wrapped her arms protectively around her chest and looked up. After scanning the area around the Hot Spring, she found nothing.

"Fucking squirrels. Scaring the piss outta me." She then continued with her soak.

Unknown to Asuka, a pair of dark brown eyes had been watching.

(A.N. The dark brown eyes strike again! Muahahahahaha!

OMG I'm sorry about being so late! After I posted my last chapter my muse disappeared for a few days. Then I logged on and I saw my reviews. I got 9 reviews! Sure, they weren't all for the recent chapter, but it was so cool! So I started writing the chapter again. The day before my normal update day, all of the mangas that I was missing from my Inuyasha collection came in the mail! WoOt! My mom ordered them without me knowing! So I had to sit down and reread the whole set all over again! All 26 volumes! Because I'm a nerd. Then after I finished that my missing YuYu Hakusho volume came in the mail, too! So I had to reread those also! So that's my lame excuse. You may not like it, but at least I'm telling the truth.)


	8. Newcomer

Hiya peoples! This tis the 8th chapie! OMFG that's awesome! WoOt! But now, you must go and read it! SO READ! Muahahahaha!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own Harvest Moon, in this universe or any other one.

Livi: My about my own little universe! You have no control over that! It's in mah _**brain!**_

Lawyer: Well, I guess not. _Bleck._

"speech" _thoughts_ ! **actions or sounds** ! emphasis

Chapter 8: Newcomer

Summer, Day 16

_Fucking weed! Cooperate with me please! _

! **yank** ! _There we go. Stupid thing._

Damn, those weeds were evil. Today, Asuka decided to let Cliff off of work. But Cliff didn't know that yet.

So, here was Asuka. Doing Cliffs' normal work. She was just waiting for Cliff to show up to tell him the 'bad news.'

"Hey Asuka." Cliff said as he walked onto the farm. "Why are you pulling weeds?"

"Hiya Cliff. Today I decided to give you a little break… holiday… thingy. Come back next week and I'll pay you double, okay?"

"Well, that was….nice. But, may I ask why?" _It_ _had better not be because Gra-_

"Gray is going to help me out today instead. Doctor said he had better start using his foot again. It healed awfully quickly. What better way to use it then by helping me?"

_Damn it, Gray!_

"Why can't he just help Saibara with the Forge like he always does?"

"Because working at the Forge only consists of standing around. Why do you have a problem with this, Cliff? You're going to get paid for a free day off! Isn't that good enough for you?" By this point Asuka had ceased pulling out her many weeds just to argue with Cliff.

_No it's not, damn it! _

"Fine! I'll be back next week!" _Gray, you are definitely not helping._

This was when Cliff took his leave. Just as Gray wobbled in.

Gray took one look at Cliffs' face and thought: _What the hell are you plotting? _

"Hey, Gray! How's your walking?" Asuka asked, interrupting Gray's thoughts.

"Just fine. My foot still feels awkward, but I'll survive."

"Aw, your eye is still bruised. Are you okay?" As Gray continued to walk closer to Asuka, she could start see the bruise that still lingered around his eye. Remember when Saibara had punched Gray? It was so hard that the bruise was still there, even days afterward.

"Yup. I'm fine. I just have to worry about not touching it."

"Well then, how about we start on these damn weeds?"

"Sounds like a plan."

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An hour later, Asuka and Gray had finished only a little more than half of her fields.

Gray was working well. Just from time to time he liked to watch Asuka.

_She looks really cute with her face kinda red like that. _

Of course, Gray would probably never admit that, but it didn't mean he couldn't think it.

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While Gray was still working with weeds, Asuka ran off to let her animals outside. She now had 5 chickens and a cow. Isabella, Francesca, Gabriella, Marcela, Carlota, and her cow Anja. (A.N. Pronounced: Anya. It's German. The chickens have Italian names.)

Her animals seemed to love the blaring heat and overwhelming sunlight. Her chickens were happily clucking away. Anja was munching on her large patch of grass.

"I'm glad th-they like it," Asuka stuttered with a weed. "I can certainly say this is not my favorite season."

"Me either. It gets so hot in the Forge during summer. I try to work less in there at this time of year." Gray stated, while moving on to the next weed.

"Ouch. Totally wouldn't doubt it. Especially with Saibara… Hey, have you found out what's crawled up his ass yet?"

"Nope. But whatever it is, it's starting to rot. I see him less and less. It's a good thing that our business hasn't suffered... yet."

"Yikes. I hope that gets better soon."

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After another hour, the only part of the fields left was the corner by the shipment box.

"Hey, did you know that we're getting a new neighbor? He's going to live right next door to you."

"Yeah, I know. I watched Gotz build his house. It's really nice. He's supposed to move in today."

"Really? I wonder what he'll be like."

"Why!" _What about me?_

"No reason. I'm just curious, that's all." _What's wrong with him? He looks so sad. _

"Curiosity killed the cat, ya' know."

"Yeah, but reality brought it back."

"Ha ha, very funny ….Last ! **yank** ! one! All done!"

"Finally! Thank you. My fields look great."

As a matter of fact, they really did. Everything was green and lush. Her crops were flourishing and her animals were happy.

"Yeah it does." Gray was no longer looking at the land. Now he was gazing at Asuka. _She looks so beautiful in this light._

Asuka was still looking at her farm. "Do you like what you see?"

"Sure do." Gray must have subconsciously moved closer to her. She was now within embracing distance.

Finally turning to Gray, she discovered what he was really looking at.

"Really...?" Asuka whispered.

"Really…" Gray said, just as quietly.

Two people were moving closer. Asuka closed her eyes, just waiting for their lips to touch.

_Closer. Closer._ It seemed like an eternity until…

! **bark** !

"What, you damn dog!" Both startled, Asuka and Gray jumped a good meter away from each other.

Ciro was barking at people. Walking up the path to the farm was the Mayor and someone Asuka didn't know.

"Looks like the new guy…" Asuka said, completely turned away from Gray.

"Yeah…" _Gah! What a horrible time to be interrupted!_

Oblivious to the happenings between the two people on the farm, the Mayor walked right up to Asuka.

"Hello. I am giving the new guy a tour of our village. Asuka, Gray, this is Jack."

(A.N. Dun dun dun! A cliffie! ... Just kidding! XD Read on!)

Jack was a taller guy with longer brown hair hidden underneath a backwards cap. He had crisp overalls on and light brown shoes. Noticing this, Asuka thought he looked like more of a farmer than she did!

"Nice to meet you, Asuka." Jack said. _She's cute. _

"You too, Jack." Asuka said while shaking his hand. _Not bad. He's better looking than Cliff._

"Hi."

"Gray." _I don't like the way you were looking at her._

_I wonder if this guy is dating Asuka._

Asuka noticed the unpleasant spark that ran between the two.

_I hope they get along. They live next to each other for fucks sake! _

"Asuka here owns this farm. Gray works at the Forge right next to your house." The Mayor informed Jack, still completely oblivious to everything.

"Cool."

"…I think I better get going. Saibara is probably going to yell at me if I show up any later." Looking back sadly at Asuka, Gray walked away.

"Bye…"

"Anyway, Asuka, I have official business I have to attend to. Would you finish Jack's tour for me, please?"

"Sure. Just allow me to change into something clean."

_Sweet. I'm already starting to like this girl._

(**Real** A.N. XP Muahahahaha! I have thrown another man into Asukas' life! Am I not evil? XD

I'm a week late! So sorry! School started last week and I had no time for anything! But that's beside the point. Did you like my story? Then review! Click on the pretty button that says "Go!")


	9. Run Ins

Here tis the new chapter of Fallen Feather! WoOt! This time I'm only a week and…. Two days late! Yeah. Schoolwork caught up with me again. Sorry!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi can't own Harvest Moon or anything that took time to create.

Livi: Now why is that?

Lawyer: Because you're too damn impatient.

Livi:…..0.o That could be it.

"speech" _thoughts_ ! **actions or sounds** ! emphasis

Chapter 9: Run-Ins

Summer Day, 29

_I can't decide what's more amusing, my farm, or working with Gray?_

After Asuka worked with Gray on the 11th, she started regularly showing up at the Forge for 'lessons.' She liked working with the metal. It was definitely cheaper then anger management therapy. She loved foundry the most. Simply because it was the easiest. Bend metal was also stimulating. She thought it was funny that when she was done, her hands would be black.

_Should I go back today? _

"Hey, Asuka, got anything for me, or am I done?" Cliff asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"The fields are done. You're standing at the last weed."

She was. At the moment, she was helping him weed. Since it had been raining for two days straight, there was a lot more than normal.

After pulling it out of the ground, Asuka stated; "Just put Anja and Doris out on the grass patch." Doris was her new sheep.

"Got it."

"Okay then. I'm off to the Forge."

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"Dum di do tad um." Asuka was humming a little tune on her way to the Forge.

_Hey, who's that?_

Getting of his house next door was Jack.

_Jack…..Shit! _

Almost running, Asuka got into the Forge and quickly closed the door behind her.

_I hope he didn't see me…_

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Working, Gray noticed that someone had come through the door to the shop.

_Probably Asuka. _

Turning towards the door, he discovered that it was her.

_She looks like she ran away from somebody… _

_Phew. That was close. I think._

"Hey, Asuka."

"Hey!" _Jesus, don't do that! You just popped out of nowhere_. "What'cha got for me today?"

"I figured we would go back to foundry. Since you said that you loved it so much."

! **giggles** ! _So true._

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While preparing the back for their work, chatter went through the air.

"My farm is doing really well now."

"Really? That's always good to hear."

"Have you noticed how big Vinnie has gotten? He's almost big enough to ride."

"Wow. Maybe you'll be able to enter him in the Horse Race next season."

"Maybe….Have you figured out what's up with Saibara?"

"Nope. Not yet." _Yes, I have. _

"Aww, that sucks ass."

_I'm sorry, Asuka. I just can't tell you. You shouldn't be involved with this…_

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After allowing the molten metal to cool, the new brooches were placed on the table to compare.

"You're getting better at this."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yes. The only thing I see wrong with this is the little crease in the side here."

"…That one's not mine."

"Wha…?"

Picking up the brooches, Gray could barely make out which one was better.

_But when we poured the metal, mine was on the right. Wasn't it? _

"The one I made has my initials on it."

"Seriously?"

! _**creeeeek bank**_ !

"'Ray! Where r u?"

"Shit. Gramps is home. In the back!"

Walking to the back of the Forge, Saibara found Gray and Asuka standing around the foundry table. On it were the new brooches.

"Wich n is 'ers, Aska?"

Picking up the one with her initials on it, she handed it over to him. "This one."

"Hm."

Looking at her brooch, he stepped closer to the table to grab Grays'.

After a moment of examining the two, he made his own decision.

"'Sukas' is bitter." He simply stated as he put the two back on the table. He glanced at Gray sternly and disappeared.

"What!"

"Sweet!"

"No, that can't be right…"

Snatching the two, Gray looked at them both only to discover that Saibara was right. The one with initials was better than the other. And the initials were Asuka's.

"What the hell?"

"I just happen to have a great teacher." Asuka replied, looking over his shoulder.

"It took me years to get this good! And you only learned this stuff in a few weeks…"

"Like I said, I just happen to have a great teacher! Is that such a bad thing?"

! **inhales, then exhales in a slow motion** !

"No, I guess not."

"Are you okay?"

"Sure…"

"I'm sorry."

"Hm… Wait, what? What for?"

"That, on this piece, I did better than you."

"That? Don't worry, I'm not mad!"

Pulling Asuka into an embrace, he stated quietly; "It's just great that you've gotten this good in such a short amount of time. It took me years. I guess…"

"Guess what?" Having the shock finally wear off, Asuka wrapped her arms around him.

"That I'm really proud of you."

"Really?"

"Yes." Either that or I can't get over the fact that you might be better than me…

"I'm just glad that you're not mad."

"Now why would I be mad?"

"I dunn-"

! **stern knocking** !

"Commin!" Saibara hollered from upstairs.

"Dammit Gramps." Gray whimpered, reluctantly letting go. _What if I didn't feel like answering it?_

Two people dressed in black entered the Forge. Neither one looked anywhere near pleasant.

"Asuka," Gray whispered, "Take the back door."

"What back door? Why are we whispering? Who are these people?"

"Move the tool cabinet, I don't want them to hear us, and I don't know who they are."

"You're creeping me out, Gray…But I'm going."

Slowly inching her way to the cabinet, Asuka moved it aside and disappeared behind it.

"Phew." _Now, what do they want?_

Finally walking to the now two impatient people, Gray greeted them.

One simply muttered: "Is Saibara home?"

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_That was weird. I never knew this place had a backdoor. _

Distancing herself from the building, Asuka turned towards it to inspect the wall.

_You can't even see the door!_

Going around to the front, she suddenly ran into someone.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was-"

"Asuka, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes." _Oh look who I ran into._ "Jack, correct?"

"Cool, you remembered my name, too. Are you busy at the moment?"

"No not really. Why?" _I'm just randomly running into people. Why do you ask?_

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. Would you like to chat over a cup of tea?"

"Sure. I've got nothing to do anyway." _You never know. Maybe we did._

(A.N. This is a boring chapter…. Sorry, but it was necessary. XD It's got important information for you to remember. I hope you caught it. ! **winks** !

Anyway, I'm sure ya'll are dieing to know what's up with Cliff! Well, you won't know till chapter…… 11 or 12! Muahahahahahah- ! **coughhackweeze** ! -Ha…. That's what I get. XP)


	10. Jumpin'

Here is the next chapter of Fallen Feather!! ...I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!!... I know, it has taken me **_weeks_** to update, but I have a life, too! And unfortunately, it majorly got in the way.. BUT! I shall make it up to you! Read the bottom A.N. to find out how!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own Harvest Moon. For if she did, there you be no spelling mistakes, for she is often called the grammar Natzi.

Livi:…..Oddly enough, that's true. XD People get pissed off at me for it, too.

Lawyer: That is your own damn fault, not mine. So deal with it.

Livi: Thanks…. You're a big help Mr. Lawyer…

"speech" _thoughts_ ! **actions or sounds** ! emphasis

Chapter 10: Jumpin'

Fall, Day 7

! **Yaaawwwnnn** !

_Boy am I tired. _

Spending five hours working does that to you. Makes you tired. And that's just what Asuka did. Wake up at six, go out and start her day. Start what, you say? Collecting food of course! Winter is just a season away and a person has to eat. Autumn is abundant in wild herbs and edible substances. Might as well start that collecting now.

Thus, Asuka was near Mother's Hill somewhere gathering mushrooms. And herbs. And grasses. And…. whatever.

_I have to stock my fridge or I'm going to starve or kill a chicken._

30 days. 90 meals. That is a lot of food to worry about over the winter season.

_A few more hours of this and I won't have to worry about this again for a few more days._

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On her long walk back to her farm, Asuka ran into someone.

"Hey, Asuka. How are you?"

"Good, Jack. Just tired. I've been up since forever. You?"

"Ouch. That sucks. What have you been doing?"

"Collecting food. If I don't start now, I'll be in panic mode by the end of this season. What are you doing?"

"Same thing."

_Aww, shit. I just took everything edible on this side of the mountain._

"You know what? Just take some of mine." Asuka stated as she handed Jack her knapsack.

"No, don't do that. I need to start collecting these things myself."

"Yes I do, so just take it." _Dude, that mountain is barren._

"Um…why?"

"Because I have already taken most, if not all, of the edible things of off the mountain."

"Oh. Well that was kinda greedy, don't cha' think?" Jack asked sarcastically laughing.

"I wanted to get it all done in a couple of days. So just don't worry about it and take some. I'll walk with you back to your house."

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On the long walk back, Asuka explained to Jack where all of the good food liked to hide. She kept only the best to herself of course.

"…And that's just about all of the good places for fall."

"Sweet, thank you. You don't know how much this will help me."

Just as Asuka started to open her mouth, Jack retorted, "Wait, don't answer that."

Both persons burst out laughing.

"Very funny, Jack. Anyway, your house is right there," Asuka stated, pointing just around the bend.

"That t'was fast… wanna grab a bite to eat or a cup of tea?"

"Naw, I'm good. I already have plans."

"That's okay. Maybe next time. Later."

"See ya."

Leaving Jack at his house, Asuka continued on to her destination.

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_Damn, I'm early._

Asuka figured as she started at her pocket watch.

_I guess I'm gonna be stuck waiting._

"…Hey!"

Walking down the stairs to the beach came Gray.

"Just made it. You are on time."

"Good. I thought I was going to be late 'cause gramps wouldn't let me leave."

Just guess what they are doing there.

"Got the blanket?"

"Got the food?"

Don't you just love picnics?

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"Mary did what?"

Asuka and Gray had found a secluded corner of the beach to have a nice picnic. Currently, almost all of the food was gone.

"Yes, she really did. It made her extremely desperate looking."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are you going to go out with her or not! She asked you, so what did you say?"

"I said no."

"…Why?" _Oh thank Kami._

"I simply told her that I don't like her that way and that I like someone else." _Yeah, you._

"Oh." _That's a relief. Wait... _"So who do you like?"

Blushing, Gray looked away and muttered, "Somebody."

_Well if you aren't making this really obvious. _

Rolling her eyes, Asuka stated simply: "I… like you too."

"Wha-" Turning, Gray surprisingly met her' lips.

Asuka slowly moved closer to Gray, allowing Gray to deepen said kiss.

After an eternity, which really was only a matter of seconds, they parted.

_That was heavenly..._

"Wow." _Damn, can she kiss!_

"So can you."

And she jumped on him.

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"Hey Ann?" Cliff called upstairs at the Inn, knowing she would reply.

"Coming!" Moments later the sound of her feet filled Cliffs' ears as she ran towards him.

Finally arriving at the top of the stairs, she asked: "Need something, Cliff?"

"I was wondering if you had any plans for the rest of the day. 'Cause I was hoping that maybe we could do sumtin… or sumtin…"

"Oh, I'm sorry Cliff, but I have to clean out all of the empty rooms today. If I don't, Dad'll probably kill me."

"Oh. Well, I'm off then." Cliff muttered weakly as he walked away from Ann and out of the Inn.

Today he really had nothing to do.

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Walking silently towards the beach, Cliff pondered what he was going to do after winter.

_How will I stay here after winter? Asuka doesn't pay me enough to support myself, but that's not her fault. I don't do enough around the farm to earn more than what I do now. So, where am I going to go? Where would I run off to next?_

He was currently on his way to Won's. He planed to buy seeds so he could sell the fruits of whatever his labor would produce.

…_What the hell?_

Out of the corner of his eye, Cliff saw something….move.

Ever heard the phrase "Curiosity caught the cat?" Yeah, well, curiosity has completely engulfed this cat. So much that so that, without thinking, Cliff turned his direction towards whatever it was that moved.

Finally getting closer, Cliff could make out a person. _Or is that two?_

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Picking up their mess from earlier, Gray stuffed all his belongings back into the basket. _Asuka could at least have been nice enough to help me clean up this mess…_

Looking up, Gray saw Cliff walking towards him with a puzzled face.

"Hey Cliff," Gray managed to get out while still picking up the scattered things along the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning. Asuka decided to leave before cleaning ensued." _I don't entirely blame her either. _

"Oh. You have fun with that. Later dude."

"Yup, later."

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Finally arriving at her house, Asuka runs in and slams the door shut.

_Jesus. I can't believe I just fucking did that…_

(A.N. …. Muahahahaha! You have NO idea what Asuka did! I'm, so evil!! XD

I might tell you what she did, but I might not. I dunno yet. But thats besides the point!

I HAVE A LIFE! I'm sorry it got in the way! It definently should NOT have taken me 6 weeks to update! -.- So, to make it up to you, I'm going to: 1. Post next chapter NO LATER than 2 weeks from now. 2. The next chapter will be LONGER than ever before AND 3. You shall find out what's up with CLIFF!!! And I know you all are dieing to know that one! So, that's how I plan to fix my mistake….so… NO COMPLAINING!! LoL.

Review! You know you wanna! It helps me update faster!)


	11. Help Me!

Hello again peoples! Here is your longer chapter, and the "OMFG What's up with Cliff!?" chapter. It's my longest chapter yet, and that's what I was going for. I hope you like it, for it does show something, but that leads to a lot more questions concerning Cliff and his whereabouts. So, being the evil author I am, on to the story!

**_WARNING:_** This chapter contains something that some people may find disturbing or are too young to comprehend the concept. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. This story is 'M' for a reason!

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi doesn't own the Harvest Moon franchise, for if she did, it would not be a rated 'E' game.

Livi: Heh heh he. I would make it such an interesting game if it where 'M'…..

Lawyer: I do not want to know where you were going with that…. ! **runs off to gag** !

"speech" _thoughts_ ! **actions or sounds** ! emphasis

Chapter 11: Help Me!

Fall, Day 19

_Wow. I can't believe I won…_

Seriously. Asuka just couldn't get it through her thick skull. Vinnie won the horse race! At such a young age! It was almost incomprehensible! And the winners' party was a fucking blast!

! **FLASHBACK** !

"Good morning Asuka!"

Looking up from her crops, Asuka saw Barley walked up to her.

"Morning. What brings you to my farm?

"The Horse Race is tomorrow and I was wondering if you'd like to enter."

"Oh yeah. I totally forgot. But, I dunno. Vinnie is just now big enough to ride and I don't think we've had much practice…."

"This race would only give you more. Nobody ever said you had to win."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…..You know what? I'll take you up on that offer! It couldn't hurt, right?"

"Right!"

! **The next day** !

Walking up to the town square, Asuka could hear a vice over the loudspeakers.

"Bob, Bill, Joe, James, and Asuka are needed at the stalls. Your race is next." This announcement blared annoyingly over the intercom.

"Jesus, I just got here, too." She mumbled, staring at her watch. _Did I show up late or something? _

"Oi, Asuka!"

Looking up, Asuka noticed Gray jogging towards her.

"Hey, Gray. Need something, 'cause I'm needed elsewhere."

"No. I just wanted to say…..good luck on the race."

"Oh. Thanks. I want to get at least third. Hopefully I don't kill Vinnie in the process."

Laughing along with Gray, Asuka ran off to attend to her horse.

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"GO!"

Starting Vinnie, Asuka rode her horse as he jumped out of the gate and started to run.

Only a few moments into the race, she watched as everyone started to pass her. She began to get a little worried.

_Damnit Vinnie, run! I know you can go faster!_

Egging the young horse on, she only hoped he would respond the way she wanted him to.

_Finally. _

Seemingly an eternity had passed as Asuka and Vinnie crossed the finish line. She had no idea what place she was in. She was too focused on Vinnie. She just wanted to finish and hadn't bothered looking around her.

"And the winner is ASUKA and VINNIE!!"

_WTF Really?! _

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! **ding ding ding dink** !

All the talking in the Inn subsided when someone started tapping their glass. The crowd all turned to see Jack standing on a stool.

"Hey everybody! We all know why we're here! But for the people who are drunk already let me remind you. Asuka and Vinnie won the local Horse Race! So, let this Winner's Celebration officially start!"

After loads of cheering and yelling, the entire room went back to partying the night away in honor of the big win.

Pulling Jack off the stool, Asuka blushed as more people came up to congratulate her.

"Jesus Jack you really didn't need to do that." She mumbled as he stepped back onto the floor.

"Too bad. I didn't want Doug to do it and steal all of the fun."

"He's kinda the one hosting this wild party you idiot."

"I'll help foot the bill or something. Don't worry about it."

"You're broke you-"

"Hey Jack!"

"Hey, Bill!" Turning back towards Asuka, Jack managed to get another thing out before he ran off. "Gonna go mingle. Talk to you later Asuka."

"Bye." _Wow, that was rude._

"That was a great race, Asuka."

Looking around for the source of this new voice, Asuka spotted Gray only a meter away.

"Gray! Didn't see you there." Asuka stated as she weaved through the crowd towards him. "Get to see the whole race?"

"Sure did. You looked great. It was almost as if you didn't even notice that you pulled ahead of everyone."

"Eh…..That would be because I didn't. I was too spaced out just trying to get Vinnie to really run like he does on my farm."

"Oh. Well, either way you won, so it doesn't really matter."

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Partying the night away was such a blast! Sure, every hour or so, Harris had to drag another random drunk person home, but that didn't affect anything. Well, except Harris anyway.

Asuka was jumping from person to person dancing and having a blast. She hated when somebody stopped her just to congratulate her. Again. But after a few shots she got used to it.

"Looks like she's having fun." Gray mumbled to himself.

He loved watching Asuka bounce around the room. He was hoping she'd eventually make her way towards him, but if she didn't that was his own fault. Of course, when she finally found Cliff, he had to avert his eyes. He didn't want to watch her dance with him. He was afraid that if he did, he'd march right over to the two and smack Cliff upside his head.

_Damn my jealousness. She's having a good time. Leave her alone……_

Asuka continued her jumping state. She was too drunk to realize who she was dancing with anyway. She could have been dancing with Michael Jackson for all she knew!

When in the middleAsuka finally collapsed of the dance floor an hour later, it was poor drunken peHarris who had to drag another person home.

Gray watched as she was led out of the Inn. He wanted to dance with her, but her well being was more important to him anyways.

_Man, she's going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning._

! **END FLASHBACK** !

So here Asuka sat, in the middle of the night, right where Harris left her. Totally drunk and thinking about the race, she somehow managed to get off her bed, change, and crawl back into it.

Being so drunk, she forgot to lock the front door….

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"Mmm." Attempting to open her eyes, Asuka found the light far too bright. She quickly regretted it when she did so. It made her headache ten times worse.

"Gawd, this hangover is killer." She spoke, using her arm to block the light.

"Morning Asuka. You woke up earlier than expected."

"Wha…..What?!" _Who the hell is in my house?_

Almost jumping, she scrambled up and sat on the edge of her bed in the corner of the wall.

Hating herself again, she had to sit against the wall for support. Getting up so quickly made her hangover even worse. If that was even possible at this point.

Glancing around, she spotted Cliff leaning comfortably against the wall. He had a gleam in his eyes that she didn't like.

"I see you had plenty of fun at the party last night."

"Yeah, I did. Almost too much. I feel like shit. Wha-what do you want? I hadn't planned on having you work today…... You can if you really want. I'll still pay you."

"That's not what I want." Advancing, Cliff got to the edge of the bed. "Not even close." He said simply as he started to climb onto it.

"Hey, get off my bed! What do you want-" Moving faster than Asuka thought he would, Cliff suddenly appeared in front of her. Cutting her off, he forcefully kissed her, slamming her body against the wall.

Totally caught off guard and physically in pain, Asuka somehow managed to get her hands on his shoulders and pushed him off.

"What the hell?! Get off of me!"

"No."

Grabbing her hands, Cliff took hold of them in one hand and held them above her against the wall.

Letting out a 'yipe' of surprise, pain shot through her arms as they were thrust above her.

"Goddamnit, let go of me!" Struggling to get Cliff to let go, she tried to free her hands from his iron grip.

Cliff moved suddenly, angrily kissing her again, bruising her now damaged lips.

With his free hand, he grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing hard.

Crying out from the pain, Cliff took his chance and slipped his tongue into her mouth, ravishing her taste.

Disturbed and disgusted, Asuka bit him as hard as she could. Tears started welling up in her eyes, the pain intense. This guy just wouldn't cease!

He yelped in surprised, loosening his hand just enough for her to free herself. Pushing him again, Asuka attempted to scramble off the bed.

"Get the fuck away from me and out of my house! Yikes!"

Recovering, Cliff grabbed her by the waist and threw her back onto the bed.

"Tough girl aren't we?" Pulling her arms, Cliff was able to get her to lie on her back.

"Go away!" Asuka found struggling as much as possible was hard when one had a horrible hangover!

Pinning her hands above her head again, Cliff hovered just above her.

"You know you wanna."

With his free hand, he began to unzip the fly of his pants.

"No! Help me!"

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Inhaling sharply, Gray placed his hand on the front desk to steady himself. It felt like something just sawed his chest in two.

_What the hell was that? Something is not right here. _

"Gramps, I gotta go do something! Leaving!" He yelled as he made his way to the door.

"No yer not! Come bak 'ere!"

_Drunken old man, I'm leaving. _

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Looking around outside the Forge, Gray simply stood.

_Where am I going? ……I have to quit following these all-of-a-sudden things……_

Figuring that Saibara would be pissed at him anyway, Gray wandered back into the Forge.

_That was so weird… _

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Jack was wondering aimlessly around Mother Hill hoping to stumble upon one of Asuka's secret 'harvest spots' that he knew she didn't tell him about. Couldn't blame her though, he probably wouldn't have told anyone either. But that was beside the point. He'd been trying all month to find just one. But he was having no luck whatsoever.

Turning, Jack followed his normal route back to his house: through Asuka's farm. She didn't mind, as she had told him about before. 'Why go all the way around when you can take a nice stroll through my farm?' was what she said if he could remember correctly. As long as it didn't bug her, he'd just walk right on through.

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Figuring out a way to place her leg to make her idea work, Asuka swiftly kneed Cliff in his groin.

Even though his hand was in the way, Cliff still felt some major pain. Losing his balance, he toppled over and rolled onto his side, holding his bruised self in his hands.

_Ha! Take that you bastard!_

Crawling off her bed, Asuka grabbed the closest thing to her; a vase. Turning, she threw it as hard as she could at Cliff.

It hit him square in the head, knocking him out, and making his body go limp on her bed.

_Ng, I hafta get the fuck outta here... _

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Walking through Asukas' farm, Jack could faintly hear yelling. The closer he got to her house, the more he could understand the muffled words.

"No! Help me!"

_What the hell?! _

Running, Jack arrived at her house just as Asuka tripped out the front door.

"Gawd, no more liquor for me _ever_…." Asuka said to herself, falling to her knees.

"Asuka! Hey! Are you okay?"

"Uh, who….?" Looking up, she spotted Jack running towards her. "Cliff…in the house…help me get the hell away please."

"Wha….? I'm not going to ask. Come on; let's get you to the clinic. You look like shit."

"I know. I fink."

Before Jack picked up Asuka to carry her to the clinic, she made him lock her door.

_I'm getting you arrested you sick son-of-a-bitch. So you can stay there until Harris picks you up. _

(A.N. I know, ya'll hate me……

But I hate Cliff, so too bad! This is my story. I like to bash Cliff…….So, what did you think? I tried not to make things as awkward as possible, and that's how it turned out. Just don't sue me!

Ya'll were suposed to have this chapter Saturday, but FanFic wouldn't let me load the document! Sorry. I tried every day until it worked... It's the thought that counts.

Now review! I know you're going to have comments after this surprising chapter! XD)


	12. How Could You

O.o My faithfull reviewers, I have no words to express my apologies. No point in my entire writing being would I have thought that it would have taken me 5 months to update one chapter. I don't expect you to forgive me, I just hope that you continue to read this story until I finish it. When I start something, I finish it, no matter how long it takes.

Disclaimer (Lawyer): Livi does not own Harvest Moon. She also seems to have disappeared before she could write the disclaimer. Although in her place she has left us with a pile of used tissues. It seems something has depressed her.

Pile 'o' tissues: Really now? I would have never have guessed.

Lawyer: O.o

"speech" _thoughts_ ! **actions or sounds** ! emphasis

Chapter 12: How Could You

Fall, Day 22

"Damn it!" Basil yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. Various assorted glasses trembled at the sudden movement. "This is completely unacceptable. Something needs to be done about this boy!"

"This isn't the first time." Harris said before Basil could go further. "Have you seen the aftermath of what he has done to Popuri?"

Lillia, looked down, clearly distraught. Popuri could be considered Cliff's first 'victim.' She has never been the same ever since.

"You said the boy had changed Doug! Clearly this is not the case. Kicking him temporarily out of the Village the first time clearly wasn't enough." Of course, Manna knew all the little rants of past meetings. Doug had definitely defended him the first time he came back. He was supposed to have become a 'changed boy.'

"Cliff needs some intensive counseling," Carter stated simply. "There is something wrong with him. Normal boys don't wake up in the morning thinking 'I'm going to go try to rape someone today.' Repeat offender or not, something must be wrong with him mentally. He's not stable."

"Jail! Convict him!" Some random villager screamed from some random place somewhere within their meeting place; the Inn.

"We'll have to send him elsewhere to convict him. The only legal system set up in this small village is Harris, and he's just a cop." The Mayor had decided not to disband this 'meeting' as he normally did. This one was way too needed.

"I'll escort him to the nearest neighboring Village." Harris wanted so badly to roughly through the youth into a jail cell.

That seemingly ended the 'meeting' right there. It was unanimously declared that Cliff would be sent to jail somewhere. He was to leave on the next boat out.

_This boy needs counseling, yet no one wants to listen..._ Carter thought solemnly as he walked out the door with the rest of the villagers.

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! **FLASHBACK** !

Jack had no idea why the hell Asuka was running from Cliff, just that she was roughed up and made him lock her door. He carried her all the way to the clinic, although she passed out halfway there. Mumbling something about Cliff before she lost consciousness, she twitched constantly in his arms. Right before he reached the door to the Clinic she started screaming. Everybody including the poor patients could hear her wild cries.

"No! Get away!"

"Asuka, hold still or I'm going to drop you! Get your fucking ass out here now someone!"

"There is no need for such language! Children are treated here," Elli told him sternly, dragging behind her a rolling stretcher, motioning for Jack to put her down. Doctor came rushing out, just as they started to roll it into the building.

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Gray could hear the yelling at the Clinic all the way at the Library, where he was currently at. He was oogling over a new book Mary had just received about metal cooling temperatures. Looking up, startled from his book, Gray finds the yelling to hard to ignore. He droped it as he ran out of the Library, Mary asking him where he was going. It's not like she could leave, since someone had to watch the Library. Following the sound of the yelling just before it ceased, he found himself at the Clinic.

Right as his hand reached out and touched the door someone else on the other side pulled it open. Jack appeared before him. They stood staring at each other for a few moments before Jack simply uttered.

"Asuka is in there."

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"No!" Asuka unconsciously screamed right as Gray practically ran into her room.

"Gray, get out of here please. We're trying to calm her and you're probably not going to help," Doctor said, as he turned his head to see who had walked in. He was holding a needle in one hand, full of a strong sedative.

"Let me talk to her before you do that."

"She completely out. How are you supposed to-"

"Just let him," Elli said, quickly interjecting. "He'll do more good than you think," she finished as she grabbed Doctor by the arm and led him out the door. He continued to protest the entire way.

He didn't bother to question why Elli let him stay with no questions. He was too busy thinking about Asuka. Walking over to the bed she was currently twitching in, he pulled a chair next to it and sat down. He placed his hand slowly on hers, waiting for when it seemed to twitch the least. The moment he did her eyes shot open and the twitching stopped.

"Asuk-"

"Don't touch me!"

From her lying position on the bed, she jumped up at the sudden touch and became huddled onto the far corner of her bed. She started looking around, and then spotted Gray.

Gray knew she was unconscious, but the sudden outburst on her part saddened him. _Why can't I touch her? What the hell has happened? _

"Asuka, I- I'm sorry." Gray stumbled as he started to get up, so he could leave her alone. Clearly she didn't like the touch, she didn't need him around.

"Gray!" She finally realized who had touched her. It was not Cliff as she had thought it was, but Gray. After the initial shock wore off she got up quickly, crawling over to him. She stopped his advancement up, wrapping her arms around his neck and starting to cry into his shoulder.

All of the sudden Gray had a body clinging to him. Letting a weird kind of instinct take over, he placed his arms around her waist and let her cry.

"What the hell happened to you?" _I've got to stop finding you in the Clinic._ _You've been here twice already. Now what has happened?_

Her words were hard to pick out through her tears. Everything was muddled together against his neck. Her not bothering to enunciate didn't help either. All he could hear thoroughly was 'Cliff', 'tried', 'no help'.

Placing his hands on her shoulders and, very softly, pushed her off of him so he could speak.

"Asuka, slow down. I can't understand anything you're trying to say," he whispered as he stared into her clouded eyes.

"Cliff, he-he tried ta-ta ! **sniff** !... rape me."

"What!" His eyes grew bigger than his head. "I'm going to kill him!"

As he tried to leave as quickly as possible to hunt down the bastard Cliff, arms wrapped around him, stopping his exit.

"Why…. Why are you stopping me? Why are you protecting him?" Asuka had him from the side, where he had advanced to when she stopped him. His eyes moved to where her hands were around him. Each wrist was badly bruised with a dark black ring, each in the shape of a hand.

"I don't... know. Just leave him alone. L-let Harris deal with it or something."

_I'd rather deal with it! Just look at what he did to your hands alone! I want to beat him an inch of his life! Wait a minute... _

"I tried to warn you even before you let him work on the farm! But no! You wouldn't let me! I tried to stop you from even letting him work! I tried Asuka, I really did, but you wouldn't listen to me."

"What? How could you have known something like this was going to happen...?" Asuka asked, releasing Gray and falling back onto the bed.

"This has happened before. Only, Popuri was the victim. She's never been the same since. Why do you think she always seems spaced out or never there? She was perfectly normal before. Afterwards, he was banned from the Village for a few years. We were hoping that when he came back, if he ever did, he would have changed. And as I can see that is not the case. And I tried to warn you!"

_This is all my fault... I let this happen by not listening in the first place. I... I'm just another victim. _

Her seated position on the bed became slumped as she removed her arms from around Gray's person. Placing her eyes in her hands, she just cried. Her hangover seemed to have decided to take this moment and come crashing back.

_I-I caused that pain... I shouldn't have told her... _For the second time that day, Grays' chest felt as if someone sawed it in two as he walked quietly out the door.

! **END FLASHBACK** !

Cliff was sent out on the next ferry the day of this meeting, escorted by Harris. No one had talked to him since the incident. He had not said a word to anyone since Asuka locked him into her home. Not even when various burly men came to drag him violently away from the house just to be thrown into a windowless room until this day.

Gray unfortunately was not allowed to confront him in any way. Most of the villagers thought that would lead to a disastrous result. Asuka hasn't said a thing to anyone since her conversation with Gray. Gray blames himself for her silence.

(A.N. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! Angry friends of mine in real life and over the internet have already come at me with pitchforks about never seeming to update. I am deeply sorry. My life has spiraled out of control this past almost-half-year, and I'm attempting to try to pick the pieces back up. It's not easy, and in the end it may not be worth it, but I'm trying. So don't hate me please. Review if you would like me to know that you found out that I'm still alive.)


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